Some statistics on Camille.

In the area of the coast about 10 miles long between Waveland and Long Beach, NHC estimates gusts from Hurricane Camille were between 210-220mph, with 190mph sustained winds. For 10 miles to the east of that, about to Biloxi, winds reached 180mph. The wind and coastal surge were so powerful that even plumbing systems were ripped out of concrete foundations. Highest areas of storm surge were 22-25ft, and in places water went over several miles inland - the highest ever in the US - and this is not counting the wave heights over the surge. The web has a story of a house two miles inland that was completely submerged. Pressure was the 2nd lowest recorded ever (1935 hurricane the other): several miles to the right of the eye, 909mb, in Bay St. Louis.

About 20 miles to the east, the Biloxi-Ocean Springs bridge had its pilings moved around. Different pieces of the bridge were moved around - a couple feet higher, or to the side. In order to get people across the police had put what looked to me like sheets of plywood or something between these places. I'll never forget that sight.

My mom and dad had decided to pile us all in the car (six kids) and we drove as far west as we could to see the damage (kind of obnoxious, in retrospect; sight-seeing). The bridge was as far as they would let us go, since we weren't residents of Ocean Springs or points west.